HPU Waging Campaign For Safe Crossings
By Kerry Miller
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS | Share
Del.icio.usTwo accidents in the past two years have prompted Hawaii Pacific University to ask for the state’s help installing traffic-calming measures by its Hawaii Loa campus - and there may be some relief on the way.
“It’s more coming out of campus and trying to make a left to go up to Castle Junction,“explained Rick Stepien, vice president of administration.“The traffic from Kaneohe, traffic from Castle Junction - it’s all coming at you. You’ve got a crosswalk that’s at the convergence of high-speed traffic,pedestrians and vehicles trying to enter campus simultaneously.”
It’s become more and more of a safety issue as motorists speed up and as Windward enrollment goes up. But the most significant hazard, Stepien noted, is speeders from Castle Junction.
“Once you make the turn (onto Kamehameha Highway) it’s downhill. People start really accelerating because they know there’s no light until H-3. That’s pretty much the issue. I leave this campus every day and sit there for five to six minutes trying to make a left turn. That’s been a problem.”
The college has been contacting the state Department of Transportation for years about the dangerous situation at the Kamehameha Highway entrance.
In the past two years, concerns have increased following two pedestrian accidents. One was a marine science student who was hit by a truck as she left campus.The truck was coming from Castle Junction. She was hospitalized as a result. The second was a non-student who was struck by a car. The man got off a bus on the makai side of the highway and attempted to cross it. He was not seriously injured.
“We’ve never had a death here, but every year there’s been at least one serious accident,“Stepien said.
He’s written four-to-six letters to the DOT seeking help since 2001 and sent digital photos. He’s suggested more pedestrian signs, a pedestrian-activated flashing light for the crosswalk, rumble strips and perhaps more pavement markings.
Neal Honma, of the DOT traffic branch, said they’ve conducted traffic studies of the area, and there are measures they can take.
“They wanted a signal, but the (first) study didn’t warrant one,” he said. “We weren’t going to put in any kind of flashing red light because it’s out there flashing all the time, and people wouldn’t be sure of how it works. We were looking to install more pavement markings.
“I believe we were going to put out a couple crosswalk signs. I don’t think it got installed yet (the markings).We need to get the work order. The big issue over there is the speeding. We cannot control that - HPD has to go out there and enforce it. The striping is OK beyond that, maybe (there needs to be) pavement words like ‘pedxing.‘It’s not going to fix everything, but that’s all we can do.”
Both men agree that speeding is the primary problem and that a police presence is needed to slow drivers down.
“I have seen HPD out here twice setting up. They were set up at the bus stop on the campus side of Kamehameha Highway, shooting the laser back at Castle Junction. They have been out, and I appreciate that. If they can slow them down to 35,they’ll increase the safety margin.”
Since its merger with Hawaii Loa College in 1992, HPU’s Windward campus is drawing about 2,000 who access the campus daily.
“We’ve put signs up on our campus that say “Be careful, Caution, Look both ways,’” Stepien added.
“It’s not our highway, but the entrance is there.We’ve got to deal with the situation.”
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
